(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from Ferdinand)
Doug (vo): Oh, Ferdinand was a Blue Sky movie, huh? Okay, yeah, actually, that kind of checks out. I think a lot of people had the same thought watching the trailer for this and probably seeing the movie with their kids. Like, this isn't going to be anything that deep, but it should be fun, like, just a fun little hour-and-a-half or so to spend distracting your kids a bit. And yeah, they're not wrong. And I say to myself, "I really should lighten up". I should just say, "Hey, this is a little bit of fluff for little kids, it's not really meant that much for adults, so I really shouldn't be that harsh on it." But I don't know, something just rubs me the wrong way about this movie. Maybe because I do kind of like the story and I could see this being a good animated film. And actually, I could even see it being a good Blue Sky film. Like, they're right, this isn't that complicated a story, and honestly, they do add a pretty good setup here.
Story[]
Doug (vo): Ferdinand is born into a world where he's supposed to be trained to be a dangerous beast, but if you know the original story, you know where this is going, all he wants to do is smell the flowers. When Ferdinand's father is picked to fight in the ring and doesn't return, he runs away from home to find a new home on, where else, a flower farm where a little girl named Nina instantly gravitates towards him and decides to adopt him. Years later, as bulls do, he grows gigantic, but when a misunderstanding happens and everyone thinks he's a dangerous beast, he's taken away from his new home and put back in his old one, destined to get back to Nina. He teams up with a bunch of goofy animal outcasts. They try to figure out a way to escape and hopefully reunite himself with his true owner.
Review[]
Doug (vo): So yeah, this setup honestly isn't that bad, and I think the best stuff is probably just seeing Ferdinand with the little girl. This image is great, just this tiny little kid and this big, gigantic beast having fun together, playing games and just kind of addressing the oddities of raising a bull. But I don't think there's enough of that. I think it goes without saying that these two have to be separated, you have to separate Ferdinand from his family in order for you to want to see them get back together. And the connection in that film was really, really strong and I think you needed a connection not quite on that level, but definitely closer to it for this.
(Footage focusing on the side characters is shown, mostly focusing on Lupe and the three horses, Hans, Klaus and Greta)
Doug (vo): This film seems way too excited to get back into that place where all the animals are and the old bullies and comic relief like Kate McKinnon, who's not giving one of her funnier performances here. And while it's hard to say a lot of this is bad, it's certainly not good, it's not entertaining. Like, yeah, the animation is bouncy and colorful, but it's just kind of stuff I've seen everywhere else. For 90% of the movie, I just felt like I was watching nothing. Like, I'd rather just kind of go out into the lobby and have an interesting conversation with someone. The only moments where I'll admit I didn't want to laugh because I was in such a bad mood, I didn't want to like the movie, but I was secretly kind of snickering were these horses that, again, don't really say anything that funny, but the way they move and the accents they have are just so over-the-top. I did have to cover my smile quite a few times there. Some jokes are obvious, but still a little clever. Like, I think everyone's seen the image of him in the china shop. Like, yeah, the opportunity presents itself, might as well follow through with it. But outside of that, the film is just so forgettable. It's hard to blame the actors. I mean, I'm sure they're giving their all. I mean, even McKinnon, like I said, is going big, she's not half-assing it. It's just there's no funny writing here and she's not able to make it funny, none of these actors really are. And they're also not able to make it that heartfelt because the movie doesn't give them enough time to.
Final thought[]
Doug (vo): I guess I'm kind of in a minority on this because again, I know a lot of people who are just really laid-back about it and are like, "Eh, whatever. Like, I know it's not anything great, but it's passable." And I think it's just a few notches under passable, like, not god-awful, but there should have been bare minimum, a little bit more here. I mean, look at the designs of these characters, I want to like them. Look at the layout of the story, I want to be invested. Look at this adorable image of these two, I want to leave this movie saying, "Oh my God, that was adorable!" But it's not any of that, it's like an echo of that. It's like listening to a band at the other end of a canyon, you're just getting the faint whispers of what you should be getting. I just feel like there's a lot more possibilities. I guess if you liked it, fair enough, or if your kids liked it, that's totally understandable. I mean, there's nothing really offensive or awful in it, but for a story that's been told for years and years and will continue to be told for years and years, this movie adaptation doesn't have the same lifespan.
(The final scene where Ferdinand and the other bulls sit under a tree watching the sunset is shown)